Bleach: Dust to Dust
by Naruyashan
Summary: Change, funnily enough, is the only thing that remains constant in life. John Matthew's life is certainly changed when he is thrown into a strange, but not necessarily unfamiliar, world: The world of Bleach. Most likely AU, possible pairing/harem.
1. Chapter 1: A Rude Awakening

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Bleach, and all similarities to real life events and names are purely coincidental. If I did own bleach, do you really think I'd be writing this? Anyways, enjoy the story.

It was an ordinary day among ordinary days. Nothing really happened, and the men and women of Gohan city go about their lives. Can you guess where most of the work is? That's right, rice, the city's main export and its namesake. But this story isn't about this town or the jobs within it, it's about a teen. A teen that entered into a world beyond his own. Funnily enough, it was a fairly well known world: The world of Bleach. So begins…

Bleach: Dust to Dust

Chapter One: A Rude Awakening

John Matthew yawns, smacking his lips as he is forcefully awakened from his rest by the angry, incessant blaring of an alarm clock shaped like Sakura. He slams a palm into the 'Off' button as he gets up the willpower to sit up in his bed. After a few seconds, he finally rises from the welcoming arms of his sheets and stands on his own two feet, albeit a bit shakily. He groans and looks around for the white doors that marked his closet. Eventually managing to spot the two doors, he blearily stumbles to the pair, opening them and looking through the limited contents that made up his sets of clothing. After a few moments, his half-open eyes rest upon a plain black shirt and a pair of black shorts that had hidden themselves from his view in the shadows of the back of the closet. He holds them up, nodding as if deeming them satisfactory. 'Not exactly "Stylish", per se, but it'll do…' John muses as the cobwebs from sleep begin fading slowly, letting him get into his morning routine.

Putting on the clothes, he walks out of his room, to the door of the restroom. Entering, John scoops some water in his hands, readying himself for what was to come. With a hiss, he splashes the freezing water on his face, and he recoils as it hits his face. He shakes his head to brush away the last few cobwebs strewn about his mind. John decides to take this moment to look over himself. He, as a whole, is relatively average. He's a bit tall, however not enough to mark him down as excessively so. He has a decent musculature, having been a star soccer player once upon a time. He's also a bit skinny, although not nearly enough to be considered scrawny. Other than those, he's generally just another face in the crowd, a trait that has assisted him in escaping, and avoiding, many a sticky situation. However, there is one feature that sets him apart from others: his oddly colored eyes. They're twin violet pools that seem to peer into the soul of any their gaze rests upon, and, oftentimes, they scare many who don't know him well. Many think the color is fabricated by way of contacts lenses, and while this theory is completely untrue, John doesn't really bother disputing the fact, as it doesn't really affect him too adversely.

With a small smile of approval at his current state of dress, he dips his hands into gel, grabbing a glob of the substance. He then runs them through his jet black hair, his fingers dexterously brushing the unruly mess down into a neat, glossed look. After observing himself in the mirror for a bit longer, he grabs his toiletries and brushes his teeth, along with the other tasks that bring his hygiene up to acceptable levels. Soon after doing this, he emerges from the restroom and begins striding down the hallway confidently, a small smile gracing his lips as the sweet smell of his mother's home-cooked breakfast fills his nostrils. The hallway opens up to a homey living room, in the corner of which lies an almost impossibly soft sofa. A beautiful glass coffee table takes center stage and two rocking chairs sit beside the glass marvel. A fireplace sits under the large television and completes the homey feel of the room. He smiles fondly at the sight, then steps into the marble kitchen where his mother Alice, a small, deceptively strong woman with a kindly face, cooks a meal of scrambled eggs. Most of the kitchen is filled with state-of-the-art cooking equipment, save for a small teapot that rests upon the kitchen counter. On it is the word: "Roots"

She soon turns to call John to eat, a wide smile on her face as she grabs a plate and utensils. "Honey, bre- Oh! I swear, it's like you have a sixth sense! I'll catch you one day, just you wait!" She says playfully pinching John's cheeks. John smiles in return. "I'm sure you will, Mom." He replies, taking a seat as his mother sets down a plate filled to the brim with the delicious meal. Almost as soon as it began, breakfast ends, with John displaying the unexpectedly ravenous appetite he is often known for. "It's amazing how you don't fatten up!" His mother says, marveling as she does every morning at his 'ability' to stay in shape despite his eating habits.

He grins at the compliment, then gives her a kiss as he heads for the door to go to school, scooping up his bag on the way. The leather on the black bookbag is barely visible through the assortment of pins adorning the bag, all from an assortment of anime and manga. Suddenly, as he opens the door to walk to school, he is assaulted by a mass of images. A pair of gauntlets. A black butterfly. An odd mask. The final image… Ichigo?

John stumbles back, eyes widened to their breaking points due to the shock of the images that rammed themselves into his consciousness. "John? Are you alright?" His mother asks, worry filling her eyes as she looks over her son. Not wishing to worry her further, John shakes his head with a nervous smile. "I'm fine. I thought I saw a spider, that's all." That seemed to satisfy his mother, and she nods as if to give him the 'Go Ahead'. "Alright then. Stay safe!" His mother calls brightly as he begins the short walk to Gohan High.

He arrives at the steps in short order due to his home's proximity to the the grand red building currently filling his view. Just as he begins to walk up the steps leading to the front door, another flash of images hits him like a freight train. A ruined city. A group of Hollows. A woman in padded clothing. Once again, John stumbles back, this time tripping and falling on a step, only to land on his back with a pained grunt. He frowns thoughtfully, though anyone around him would think him upset, and tunes out the snickers and outright laughing coming from those around him. He gets up slowly and the laughing dies down as he stares around at the multitude of faces, his violent eyes giving off a dangerous glint.

'What the hell are those images!?' He practically screams inside his head as he recovers from the fall. 'One thing's for sure: I can't just ignore them anymore. I just can't help but feel that those were… some kind of warning… But for what?' His brow furrows as he lets out an exasperated sigh. "Well, no point worrying about it right now." He murmurs, then walks up the stone steps and through the twin doors leading into the school.

XxX 6 Hours Later XxX

John lays in his bed silently, his mind finally taking the time to ponder the possible reasons and causes regarding the series of images that had so brutally assaulted his mind. 'Judging by the images of Ichigo and the group of Hollows, they're all connected to bleach somehow... But why? Am I going insane or something? What could cause images like that to run through my mind randomly, never mind images likely connected to a fictional universe? It make no sense!' He racks his brain for what felt like hours, and during the process he barely noticed when he eventually fell into the arms of sleep and found himself in a fitful slumber...


	2. Chapter 2: Confusion

A/N: I tried to hold this till the end of the week, but I couldn't help but upload this today. Enjoy the early update!

**Bleach: Dust to Dust**

**Chapter 2: Confusion**

John slowly awakens to a howl that echoes in the sky, a deafening screech that makes him involuntarily cringe in horror and disgust at the chilling sound… a sound that he's heard many times before. The earsplitting roar rings out again, filling the air, and John tumbles out of his noticeably smaller bed with a shout of "What the fuck?!" He stumbles about blindly in the darkness of his room, and his arms can do nothing but flail as he searches frantically for the light switch in order to get his bearings. After almost a minute of jumping frightfully at the howls and flailing about, he manages to find the switch that had eluded his grasp so well until now. As he switches it on, another cry of "What the FUCK?!" escapes his lips as a room that is not his appears before his eyes.

A plain white set of walls faces him, with a relatively small bed next to a closed window. A small brown nightstand sits next to it, with a red alarm clock sitting atop its polished wood. A desk makes itself seen at the far end of the room, various writing materials resting on it. Next to that is a small closet with one open door, and a quick peek inside reveals it's contents to be with some kind of uniform primarily, along with various bright casual clothing.

He falls onto his back, thoroughly confused at the situation, and backs away on his hands, intent on leaving the room and exploring the rest of his 'home', until he hears it… "Don't, you idiot!" John's eyes widen as he recognizes the words and the moment they precede, and he rushes to the window, opening it quickly just in time to see a familiar orange-haired boy standing in front of a hulking hollow, with a battered chair off to the side and Rukia behind him. It rushes, and Rukia manages to step in, saving him just in time, but taking a large wound for her troubles. Blood spurts out of her injured shoulder as she sinks to the ground, and John, in the spur of the moment, decides to jump and attempt to hit the hollow. "Take my sword into your heart." Rukia says in time to John's leap. Just as Ichigo begins to shine with energy, John kicks the hollow in the mask with a shout, not really expecting much to happen, and as his foot connects he mentally kicks himself for the stupid action. So it was a given that he was extremely surprised when the hollows mask shattered, and the creature goes flying high into the air, visibly dissipating as it passes under the full moon.

Rukia and Ichigo stare at him with matching sets of wide eyes as he rolls to recover (Funnily enough, he'd never done such a thing before, so it was on instinct), Rukia's filled with confusion and wonder, and Ichigo's filled with suspicion. John scratches the back of his head nervously. "Well… that was unexpected…" He says nervously, trying to quell his rising excitement and barely managing to do so. "Who are you?" Ichigo asks suspiciously, holding his sword out in case it's needed. 'This is it! My introduction!' John thinks excitedly. 'Wait… This is what I was being warned about! But how the hell did I get here?' "I'm John." He says. Ichigo looks at him strangely. "I'm going to assume you're from America." John nods. "Kind of." He agrees, and Ichigo shrugs at his words. John looks at Rukia. "I need to talk to you." He says, and she cocks her head to the side in confusion, getting up nonetheless. Ichigo makes to follow, but John shakes his head. "Alone." Ichigo looks at him, the boy's suspicion having returned with a vengeance. "Why alone?" "Because she's probably going to explain the situation to you later, and I want to get this out of the way. Besides, you have sisters to check up on." Ichigo takes a second to consider John's words, then sighs. "Alright. But you'd better bring her back soon. I need answers." The boy says, and John nods. "Fair enough." Rukia walks to John as Ichigo returns inside, seemingly waiting for him to speak.

"Mind leading me to Urahara's?" John asks politely, and Rukia's eyes narrow slightly, but she nods slowly after a moment. After almost half an hour of walking, they arrive at the shop, and John knocks loudly on the doors. A door creaks open, and a tired looking Urahara steps out, rubbing his eyes. "Maa, What are you doing, knocking so late at night?" He asks. For a second, John ponders what to say to the former captain. "The affairs of the dead are no longer solely their affairs." He says, and Urahara's eyes widen a bit as the man's arm rises and covers his mouth with his fan. "Oh?" Urahara asks, his voice rimmed with underlying suspicion. Internally, John compliments himself despite the look sent his way. 'That must have looked badass!' Externally, he looks at Urahara expectantly. "Can we come in?" He asks politely, and the 'humble shopkeeper' obliges, standing aside for them to enter. Rukia is spared a few glances from Tessai, who is still wide awake and moving boxes, but most of the attention is on John. "Do you want the good news or the bad news first?" John asks, looking around at the assortment of faces in wonder and excitement… until he spots a certain cat and smiles internally. "Well hello there." He says to the cat, still acting oblivious. The cat meows, walking up to him and plopping down on his lap. He pets her and she starts to purr, maintaining the appearance of a perfectly normal cat, more or less. "Let's hear the good news first, shall we?" Urahara interjects, wanting to move along.

John nods, taking a seat and gesturing for the others to do the same. "The good news is that I know what is going to happen to you guys, Ichigo, Yoruichi-" He smiles slightly in the cats direction as he says the name, and the cat's eyes widen imperceptibly. "-, and the others up to a certain point. I even know about the-"John leans in, next to Urahara's ear in order to drive his point in. "-'Item' you put in Rukia's gigai." Urahara's hand subtly moves from where it is under the table, slowly coming to rest on his cane as he readies himself in case he needs to use Benihime. John leans back, oblivious to this action. The shopkeeper's eyes narrow, but it doesn't show due to the shadow his hat casts. "And the bad news?" The man asks. "The bad news is that I can't warn you about any of it, because if I change the timeline too much, who knows what'll happen?" John sighs and shrugs. "There is one thing worth warning you of, as you'll be better off with more time to prepare." "And that would be…?" "Aizen's betrayal." The group's eyes collectively widen. John tells them of the circumstances Aizen will leave under, and of the Arrancar army he will make, leaving out the parts about the Hogyoku and the parts that are largely important story wise. After he finishes, the room is silent as the Shopkeeper and his compatriots mull over what has been said. "But why would you tell us this? What is your motive?" Rukia pipes up, looking at John expectantly.

"Because I don't really feel like dying so he can make the-"John clams up, not sure how important it will be. "I've said too much already. Let's go, Rukia." He says, and Rukia gets up to leave. He holds the door open for the Kuchiki, and as he goes to follow, he is stopped by a pale hand. "How about you stay a while longer?" Urahara's voice comes from behind him. He is about to refuse politely, but then he feels the cold metal of Benihime against his throat. "Sure, why not?" He replies meekly, allowing himself to be dragged along by the shopkeeper, who maintains an iron grip on John's wrist the whole time and drags him to the room they spoke in. Urahara sit's John down and begins to walk out. "Now wait here while I prep the equipment." Urahara says, and John nods as Tessai blocks the way out. 'Well… shit.'


	3. Chapter 3: Shattered

**Bleach: Dust to Dust**

**Chapter Three: Shattered**

After waiting a while and keeping a wary eye on Tessai, who still had not moved from his position blocking the doorframe, John almost lets out a sigh of relief when a smiling Urahara enters. Almost. "Can you come with me?" The man asks politely, but it is clear the 'request' was phrased as a question as a courtesy, and the fact that it is a command in undeniable if the shine in the shopkeeper's eyes are anything to go by. Once again, an hand latches on to the teen's wrist. John is once again dragged through multiple rooms by the blonde shopkeeper, until eventually the pair arrives at a vaguely familiar trap door. Urahara opens it with his free hand, then leads (See: Drags) John into the barren wasteland that the teen remembers is used as a training area in both the anime and manga. John cocks his head to the side at the location Urahara had brought him to, and looks up at the man in confusion. "Why are we here?" John asks, his tone betraying his obvious nervousness. "Just a little test, nothing you need to worry about too much~!" Urahara replies in a sing-song tone, then, suddenly, the man throws a startled John at a visible crack in the ground, one that John remembers having seen before at some point. "Oh shi-" John's desperate, frightened scream both terror and realization is interrupted as his upward motion ceases and he begins to fall into the large chasm he now knows to be the Shattered Shaft. "Why is this happening to me?!" His eyes widen just as he hits the ground, and his world goes black.

"You think he'll be alright? If he hollowfies, we can handle it, right?" Tessai asks, having walked in just as the teen hit the ground with a sickening smack. Urahara nods to his old friend confidentl. "I wasn't captain of R&D for no reason, you know. And I'm pretty sure we can handle whatever he throws at us." Tessai sighs, but nods. "I know that, and I trust your judgement. I just can't help but get a bit worried." "You think it'll fail?" "No, it's more like a bad feeling I can't shake off…" Suddenly, a massive burst of reiatsu hits them in time with a roar, forcing them back a few feet. Urahara's eyes widen. "I need to learn to trust your gut a bit more, Tessai." Urahara says almost jokingly, drawing Benihime and holding it out. "Awaken,-" He begins, just as Tessai starts to chant for a Bakudo.

XxX The Shattered Shaft, Moments Earlier XxX

John's eyes open slowly, his vision clouded. "This… GOD-DAMNIT!" He yells in frustration upon seeing his broken, bleeding body. He breaks down and begins to sob deeply, not noticing the chain attached to his chest being rapidly eaten. He starts to desperately claw at the walls, futilely attempting to escape his fate. His hands become bloody and dirty from the failed climbs as he continues to moan in sorrow and fear. Within minutes, the final link in his chain of fate is consumed, and he screams in utter agony as it happens. He breathes heavily as the pain suddenly ceases, only for his screams to renew as a white substance forces itself out of his mouth as he cries out in pain and shock, his eyes glazed over. Soon, the substance covers his face, cutting off the sound of is screams abruptly as his sclera adopt a black coloration, and his irises become a deep yellow. The substance shifts, forming a mask that looks similar to what one would imagine a dragon's skull to look like, and his body begins to morph, deforming as his muscles rip and regrow and he grows thinner at the same time, giving him a compact frame that seemed like a constantly coiled spring, ready to destroy anything in its path. A pair of black metal gauntlets form on his hands, going up to his elbow, and a pair of greaves and boots materialize as well, made of the same kind of odd metal. He roars, sending out a massive shockwave with a flare of his reiatsu. He hunches down, growling, then leaps up, clearing the height of the crevace with ease. He spots Urahara and his compatriot nigh-instantly, and he starts to rush them with a roar of defiance that sends them back a bit once more, just as Tessai finishes.

"Bakudo number 99: First Song: Kin!" Tessai booms, and a sort of spiritual fabric materializes, wrapping itself tightly around the charging, masked John. "Shibari, Benihime." Urahara says without missing a beat, and a blood-red net wraps itself around the hollowfied teen as well. Surprisingly, even with both of the two using powerful binding, the techniques already begin to dissipate due to the raw power hollow-John is using to escape.

With a roar of fury, John forces his arms outward, making the kido and net explode as the teen growls. Tessai's eyes widen significantly at the feat, and he chants again. "Bakudo Number 99: Bankin! First song, Halting wrap!" Fabric wraps around John once more, tripping him as he starts to struggle once more. "Second song, Hundred Serial Bolts!" An array of metal bolts slam into Hollow-John form, eliciting a roar of pain from the Hollowfied teen. "Final song, Full Ban Great Mount!" Tessai bellows, and a massive metal cube appears above John, smashing down onto him and forcing him to let out yet another roar of pain. Shibari, Benihime!" Urahara shouts, serious this time and 6 crimson nets latch on to the hollowfied John, further restricting him. Even with all of that, the bindings begin to weaken and rip, albeit at a much slower rate than before. A few stray beads of sweat from using run down Tessai's face –using Kin and then Bankin in quick succession took a bit of a toll on the former Kido Corps captain- the two comrades nod to each other, then ready themselves for when the teen manages to break out of the powerful bindings.

XxX John's Inner World XxX

John opens his eyes slowly, and finds himself standing amongst ruined buildings from both modern and ancient times. He looks around in wonder. "Is this my inner world?" The teen mumbles to himself, his eyes shining with awe at the spectacular displays of destruction going on around him.A tornado whips around near the teen, narrowly missing him and swirling past, and a massive earthquake shakes the ground a mile away, making him stumble a bit. He recovers, and finds himself face-to-face with a bleached double of him. This Hollow-John's eyes aren't colored the way one would expect expect to see them colored: rather than the traditional black sclera and orange or yellow irises, this one has dark green sclera and crimson irises. John backs away quickly, a scared expression on his face, and his double dons a confident smirk. **"Yo."**

_A/N: Yet another cliffhanger! John is, admittedly, going to be a bit OP, but I'm going to try and keep him from becoming a Gary Stu, and he WILL lose. After all, failure breeds success, Right? Anyways, I've decided to try to bring a 1-chapter-a-day update schedule to the table, if and whe I can. Remember to review!_


	4. Chapter 4: Rebirth

**Bleach: Dust to Dust**

**Chapter 4: Rebirth**

**"Yo."** John's double says, smirking at the gaping teen. Soon, John recovers from his initial shock, looking exasperated at the sight of his inner hollow. "Of course. Of course I have an inner hollow. Just my goddamn luck!" He cries angrily, punching a ruined wall. His double grins at the fuming teen **"Yeah, I'm your inner hollow. I was kinda hoping you'd have your zanpakutou when we met, but our meeting happened early."** The hollow sighs, shaking his head. **"Those two pricks were trying to get you into a shinigami form. I don't know how they knew to do this so early on, but…" ** The hollow scratches the back of its head sheepishly, it's grin devolving into a small smile. **"I guess we'll have to save our epic fight for later, don't we?" ** It asks, and John nods. "You know, you don't seem like as much of a prick as Ichigo's hollow did." John muses quietly, and the Hollow laughs at the comment. **"Well, I ****_am_****part of your soul, you know. If you've seen something, I have too, and I think forcing you into a fight isn't a good way to fight you that often." **John facepalms. "Right. Sorry, getting thrown into an anime hasn't exactly done wonders with my common sense, you know?" John laughs tiredly, then his eyes widen as he remembers something. "My body's berserk, isn't it… Shit." He sighs, and the hollow laughs once more, laying a hand on the dejected teen's shoulder. **"I'll send you out, don't worry. Just come back soon with your fists up, alright? I get bored really quickly without a good fight." **John's hollow says, startling John who then nods in thanks. "Alright. Fair enough."

XxX The Training Area XxX

The bindings explode with a flash of violet light, and Hollow-John growls, staring down the two captains as he glows with purple-black energy. His skin is completely white now, save for a few black tribal markings scattered around his body, and a set of draconic wings have sprouted from his back. The wings are folded against his back, as he has no reason to fly as of now. He has grown taller and more muscular, although he still manages to retain his compact frame, and his dragonesque mask now wraps around his head. The back of his head has two sharp black horns that have sprouted out of it, and they jut up diagonally. Hollow-John disappears in a burst of speed, appearing next to a startled Urahara and sending a gauntleted uppercut at the man's chin. Just before the attack connects, though, the mask and pale skin fall off of John, whose muscles remain enlarged, albeit to a lesser degree. His body, however, has reverted to its original state, but he now dons the traditional shinigami uniform, sans a sword sheath. The gauntlets remain firmly locked to his arms, and he stands, amazed by the power coursing through him. A black cat sits on the stairs, donning its equivalent to a grin as John clenches his fists, then unclenches them repeatedly.

"Holy shit." He says, and Urahara nods. "Amazingly, you're almost Lieutenant level right now." The man states, and John does a double-take. "Really?" Urahara nods. "Yep." He turns to Tessai, who nods and goes to grab John's body. Then he starts to run as John swings a fist at him. "Did you really have to kill me?!" John yells at the retreating captain. "Now, calm down." Urahara says, but John ignores him. In a burst of shunpo, the shopkeeper appears behind John and delivers a swift chop to the teen's neck just as Tessai arrives, cradling John's body in his arms. "I told you to calm down." Urahara says, then deposits the unconscious John into the teen's body, then sighs, his eyes covered by his hat. "So, Yoruichi, how long have you been over there?" He asks. "The whole time." A masculine voice responds from the stairs, coming from the cat. Once again, the shopkeeper sighs, a small smile on his lips. "It can't be helped, I suppose." The man says, sealing Benihime and then sheathing it in one smooth motion.

The three walk up the stairs casually, and Urahara hears loud knocking from the entrance of the shop. "Hey, Urahara, open up!" An angry-sounding Rukia yells, her voice muffled by the door. Tessai goes over to the doorway, opening the door for the petite girl. Rukia looks around, her eyes settling on John's prone form, and then she runs at Urahara, kicking him in the face. "What the hell did you do?!" She yells at the shopkeeper, horrified. "Maa, don't worry Rukia, just clean him up and he'll be fine in the morning." Urahara says, tipping his hat so that it covers more of his face. "He looks like he's dead!" Rukia sputters angrily as Urahara unceremoniously dumps the unconscious boy into her arms, and Tessai clears his throat, interrupting her righteous fuming. "I'll carry him, if you wouldd be so kind as to lead me to his home." The large man says, and Rukia sighs as she hands over the body. "How did I get myself into this…?" She says to herself, and then the pair step out into the cool night air and begin to walk as the shop door shuts behind them. "I wonder how nii-san is doing…" She mutters, then shrugs and resumes walking, Tessai in tow.

XxX The Soul Society: 5th Division Barracks XxX

Byakuya Kuchiki sits at his mahogany desk, a white sheet of crisp paper in front of him. He raises a brush and dips it in ink, then taps the ink off of the brushes' tip. He raises the brush once more, then sets it on the paper and begins to write kanji delicately yet swiftly, every stroke filled with grace, each kanji perfect. Renji enters silently so as not to disturb his captain, and sets down a massive pile of paperwork. "Captain, another round of work…" Renji says tiredly to the captain, who's focus is utterly on his work, then the lieutenant heads out again.

After about 3 hours of doing his own work, he receives another pile of work for his captain. Renji returns to the office with the round of paperwork the red haired shinigami had received for his captain, and sees that Byakuya is still writing on the same paper, his strokes a bit more frantic and a small tick mark on his face as he works on the sheet. Renji sweatdrops and walks out with his hands up, not wishing to risk antagonizing his Captain as he works.

About an hour later, Renji hears a loud crash in Byakuya's office, and he rushes to the office in a burst of shunpo, Zabimaru drawn, but not released, in case of danger. Strangely, there is no sign of the captain, and Renji sheathes Zabimaru. There is, however, a flipped table and paperwork scattered on the ground. There is ink leaking from the ink pot and splotches all over the floor from the brush, which had been jostled around and now rests next to a wall, a massive splatter of ink just above it. A stray paper drifts by Renji's head and flutters to the floor. The lieutenant leans down and picks the paper up. Looking at it, he recognizes it as the same one his captain was working on a few hours ago. He sees a few kanji that were imperfect, then his shoulders slump and he nods as if that explained the situation he found the room in. Sighing and dropping the piece of paper, he walks out and starts to look around the barracks for some unseated shinigami who aren't working. He eventually finds a group of them and orders them to clean the ruined office so that he doesn't have to clean up the ruined office himself. He _is _the lieutenant, after all…

_A/N: That scene with Byakuya popped into my head as I was writing this, and I think it came out rather good. Next chapter is when some of Ichigo's friends are introduced while John has his first day in Karakura High. Remember to review!_


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